Flea treatment vs meat safety

[bama brer rabbit]

I apologize, I posted this in the wrong place, under the wrong header. please forgive me, and ignore this. It should have been under the "raising for profit/ meat rabbits" area. Again, sorry.
I raise NZ Whites for meat. A group of adolescent males got a flea infestation. We were not ready to send them to freezer camp yet, and our vet recommended using a product called "Revolution," usually used to treat cats.
Will the rabbits be safe to harvest for meat, and if so, is there a minimum waiting period?

 

[bama brer rabbit]

I raise NZ Whites for meat. A group of adolescent males got a flea infestation. We were not ready to send them to freezer camp yet, and our vet recommended using a product called "Revolution," usually used to treat cats.
Will the rabbits be safe to harvest for meat, and if so, is there a minimum waiting period?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The active ingredient in Revolution is Selamectin. There are no studies in the U.S. on drug withdrawal times since it is marketed only for use in pet animals, not livestock. See page 42 in the link below:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVete ... 117201.pdf

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is a safe, non poisonous alternative that is very effective against any insect or bug that has an exoskeleton. It will cause them to dehydrate and die within a couple of days. Apply it to the rabbits as you would a flea powder- just rub it into their fur.

You will need to treat the environment as well, since the majority of the flea population is not on the rabbits, but in the surrounding area. How are your rabbits housed?

 

[bama brer rabbit]

Our rabbits are in a barn, dirt floor, french drainage system, roll up doors either end. We keep six fans running continuously during the warm months. The rabbits live in suspended cages 3 1/2 feet off the ground.
I treated the barn floor and walls 2-3 feet up from the ground (at the same time I dosed the boys) with Sevin concentrate spray. I'll look into the health aspects of using meat from these rabbits. I did not tell the vet they were "livestock." Thanks for the info about diatomacious earth. That seems much preferable.

 

[Piper]

I do not know your answer, but will see if they will move this to the current area.

 

[akane]

Withdrawal period for selamectin in horses is 32 days, 35 in poultry... So you'd want to wait 30-40days before butchering your rabbits from time of treatment. I have a feeling your vet is not a farm vet and doesn't understand you raise meat animals. Revolution is the most expensive option for treating them and one of the longest lasting making them questionable to butcher for the longest period of time.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

I read online today that feeding rosemary is a natural flea repellent.

 

[Piper]

MSD has recommended DE, to get rid of mites, it should work for fleas, too. DE is an inhalation hazard, and could kill your worms if you have a worm bed, so I would wear a mask, and make sure you wash your hands.
- Fleas can take so much blood, that they can compromise the immune system. I prefer items that I do not have to wear a mask or gloves to use, but in this case, I think DE could be the most natural option.

 

[bama brer rabbit]

Thanks, everyone. This is all great stuff. The info about the wait period for poultry is especially encouraging. After I read the FDA initial study I was quite discouraged. I have enough pets, and I don't need five more.
Again, thanks to all .

 

[MamaSheepdog]

DE is an inhalation hazard, and could kill your worms if you have a worm bed, so I would wear a mask, and make sure you wash your hands.

DE will not kill earth worms because they do not have an exoskeleton. It acts by scratching the waxy coating of the chitin, which causes critters with exoskeletons to dehydrate. Earthworms are covered in mucous. If you took the worms and liberally coated them with DE it would probably kill them, but coming into contact with a small amount will not harm them.

Natural "Food Grade" DE is no more harmful to breathe than normal dust. It is the heat treated DE that is damaging to lungs- the type commonly used for pools. I never wear a mask when handling it and it is mixed with all of my animal's feed, so every time I feed the rabbits, chickens, dogs, cats, etc. I have exposure. When I mix it into the grain for the rabbits, I stir it around with my bare hands and arms, and have not noticed any excessive drying of my skin, despite the fact that I normally go about my outside chores without rinsing it off.

From the State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality; read 2, 3, and 4:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/er/docs/Lowe ... tSheet.pdf

 

[Piper]

earthworms - check. I also have black soldier flies, as a part of my compost bin. I can hope, it is alright for them, too - will not hold my breath. Can you find anything, about them? All I have found, says it can hurt worms and black soldier flies. *crossing fingers*<br /><br />__________ Wed Sep 05, 2012 10:41 am __________<br /><br />Also, would you recommend it, as a flea treatment?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Piper,

it wont hurt the BSF maggots, but it could kill the adults.

It is an excellent flea treatment. I posted in the other thread that the OP started. I will find it and try to merge these two topics. <br /><br />__________ Wed Sep 05, 2012 9:04 am __________<br /><br />Merge completed! :clap: Not bad for a Techno-Peasant, eh? :mrgreen:

 

[Piper]

I intend to still limit DE and if there is a substitution, like pumpkin seeds as wormer, will be using it.
Partly because of the added expense of using DE. Partly because I want to know if something is there.
I know that I am taking a chance that my rabbits could get worms, but I hope to have an
dog (again) soon, and the rabbits (that I send to fc) have worms (even not all worms are common to both)
I will know to worm my (future) dog, and possibly myself.
If this article is right.
http://www.petcaregt.com/rabbits/rabbitworming.html

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I read online today that feeding rosemary is a natural flea repellent.

Really? We don't have fleas here that bother domestic animals (the ground squirrels are crawling with them though! :x ), but the rabbits do enjoy eating Rosemary. If you have a flea problem, you wont have any trouble convincing your bunnies to "take their medicine"!

 

[akane]

I'd probably got with DE first, Ivermectin 2nd, and sevin dust a distant 3rd. I've only used sevin dust on chickens for a bad mite infestation. It's rather toxic to spread around all over without exploring other options. Ivermectin is the same class of drug as revolution but it only lasts about a week in their system which is why you normally dose again 7-10 days later to catch any that were eggs at the time of the first dose. Such meds don't kill eggs. Do note some rabbit breeds have been found sensitive to the avermectins like ivermectin and revolution much like some dogs are. Dutch are one breed I've heard mentioned that occasionally have losses after treatment.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Akane, have you ever tried DE for the chickens? I put it in their dust bathing areas. I have never had a mite infestation- even before I started using DE- but it is supposed to be very effective.

 

[akane]

We were unable to find DE anywhere and I still can't find it. We tried garden stores, health stores, feed stores.... The standards who free ranged and dust bathed in many different spots never had mites but my bantams who were confined for safety from predators had a horrible mite problem so we added the sevin dust to their dust bathing areas, nest boxes, and bedding after stripping the coop and spraying all wood with poultry protector. That took care of it for 2 years before having to refresh the sevin dust so it wasn't like we were spreading the stuff constantly. I decided the increased risk was worth it for that reason.

 

[skysthelimit]

TSC sells the Red Earth. It is DE without the clay removed. Not as refined but safe to eat.

 

[akane]

We don't have TSC. We have farm and fleet, orscheln's, and newly theisens.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

You can order it online, but it is expensive to ship. I ordered 200lbs that way when I first started using it, but now our Mom & Pop feedstore carries it. It is a couple dollars less per bag, and no shipping fees! WOOT!